The Customade Group says 2016 has been its best year yet as it marks ten years since directors John Adams , Nick Gibbons and John Lightowlers took over the business . They say 2016 has been the ‘ greatest ever year for investment and recruitment ’ in the group ’ s 36-year history . Since last July , the Customade Group has ramped up production to record rates and created 35 new jobs within two key operations – trade fabricator Customade and aluminium glazed roof manufacturer Atlas Glazed Roof Solutions . Group manufacturing capabilities have been strengthened with Customade and Atlas both expanding |
into new factories in Stonehouse , Gloucester . The group has also invested more than £ 1.5 million in machinery , premises , staff and stock to help Customade boost aluminium output by 50 % and Atlas to double production of its glazed roofs . To satisfy high demand for aluminium , Customade has expanded into its third factory . The new purpose built 34,000 square foot factory now exclusively manufactures Customade ’ s REAL Aluminium range of aluminium windows , bi-folding doors , sliding doors , French doors , residential doors , composite doors and lantern roofs . The fabricator has benefitted from a significant investment |
into new machinery for the factory , which also holds around £ 1million of aluminium extrusions in stock . These advances have significantly increased production rates and helped Customade to satisfy its aluminium lead times of just two weeks . Atlas has expanded production space by 40 % and now operates from a 15,000 square foot factory , which has been kitted out with new equipment . The company is now fabricating 150 orangery and conservatory roofs and 40 flat rooflights per week on a double shift basis . The investment follows a management buyout last year in which industry stalwarts Gareth Thomas , |
John Adams and Winston Osborne became Customade Group shareholders . Nick Gibbons , Customade group ’ s operations director , said : “ It ’ s ten years since we took over the helm at the business . In those ten years , we ’ ve seen boom , bust and Brexit , all of which have thrown their fair share of opportunities and challenges at our industry . I ’ m immensely proud to have been part of a dedicated team of people that ’ s taken the Customade Group from a £ 5 million turnover company into a group that ’ s now at £ 35 million and is still growing . “ In the last decade , we ’ ve created hundreds of local jobs and increased our headcount from 80 to 350 . |
L to R ; John Lightowlers , Nick Gibbons , John Adams
We ’ ve more than doubled the number of PVCu frames we manufacture and we ’ ve made fantastic in-roads into the modern retail aluminium market . These achievements are a credit to everyone
who has been part of the business in the last ten years and I ’ m tremendously excited about the future of the group .”
www . customade . co . uk .
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